The Hengdian Group, a privately-owned comprehensive enterprise based in Hengdian Town, Zhejiang Province, one of China's most affluent provinces, has strived to build the nation's largest TV and film studio since 1996.

Situated in the middle of Dongyang City of eastern China's Zhejiang Province, Hengdian has easy access to surrounding cities and provinces. It is a 4-hour-ride to Shanghai and Jiangsu, Fujian and Jiangxi provinces; 36 kilometers away from Yiwu, the largest trading center for small commodities in China; 160 kilometers away from Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, and 90 kilometers from Jinhua City. Tourists can reach Hengdian via Yiwu or Dongyang by plane, train or bus.

Since 1996, the Hengdian Group has invested a total of 2 billion yuan in the construction of its theme park Hengdian World Studio, where there are two huge modern film studios and 12 film and TV sets, spanning many different periods in Chinese history.

Besides historical scene structures that include an old Guangzhou street, a Hong Kong street, a palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties, a palace of the Emperor Qin, The Festival of Pure Brightness on the River, riverside towns of southern China, an old street of Hengdian, rocky grottos and the Dazhi Buddhist Temple, the Hengdian World Studio has also recreated traditional buildings featuring architectural styles normally seen in southern and northern China.

The Hengdian World Studio is now a popular film & TV production base and has taken "Chinawood" as its informal title given by a Los Angles-based magazine, The Hollywood Reporter. Last year's blockbuster, Hero, directed by Zhang Yimou, was shot there.

With its appealing film-shooting sets, the Hengdian World Studio has attracted many international and domestic directors and stars to continue their careers, like celebrity directors Xie Jin, Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou, Wang Jiawei, Xu Ke and Wu Ziniu, movie stars Gong Li, Jet Li (Li Lianjie), Zhao Wenzhuo, Chen Daoming, Xu Huanshan, Pan Hong, Leung CW Tony (Liang Chaowei), Maggie Cheung (Zhang Manyu), Zhang Ziyi, Tang Guoqiang, Li Xuejian, Wang Zhiwen, Zhang Fengyi, Lin Zhiying, Wu jing, Zhao Wei, Kim Hee Sun, Norika Fujiwara, and Ai Lijiama.

Among the film-shooting sites opened to film makers both at home and abroad, 50 are film or TV dramas produced at Hengdian each year, including one-third domestic costume drama. Meanwhile, all kinds of film-making related business and services thrive there, using cheap local labor and resources. Costume renting, props, vehicles, movie sets and temporary structures are all available. Obscure acting figures from all over the country gather looking for job opportunities and the satisfaction of their dreams.

The emerging film & TV making industry has boosted local tourism. More than 10 upscale hotels have been made, with accommodation for 7000 people. Also included is a resort village, covering an area of 164 acres, an international trade building with a capacity for over 1,000 people, and a tourism mansion. All the hotels, fancy or modest, are equipped with entertainment facilities, nightclubs, sauna centers, performance centers, gyms, and bowling halls.

When asked about what motivated the creation of such a giant studio in a hinterland, Xu Wenrong, founder and chairman of the Hengdian Group explained that after his enterprise grew larger, industrial market demand shrunk and the state began to support the third sector. Observing the entertainment industry and tourism's surge in recent years, he decided to invest in the movie-making industry and tourism. And one of Hengian's biggest advantages lies in cheap local land prices, vital for a land-occupying industry like movie making. On top of that, within Dongyang City, where Hengdian is located, there are hundreds of construction companies which help build at a low cost.

"So far, we have invested 2 billion yuan, and plan to invest 700 million further," Xu said.

However, suspicion exists. Some people have begun to doubt the profit of this huge artificial studio project. But Xu seems optimistic, "The highway construction to Hengdian helps a lot. We have now only a three-hour ride to Shanghai." He hopes his movie studio kingdom may attract five million tourists in 2010, and feels sure to recoup his investment by then.

(China.org.cn by Li Liangdu, November 16, 2003)